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"Oh my god, make it stop." Nox groaned, shoving his hands over his ears. That got an amused laugh from his sister, and he glared up at her unapologetic amusement.
"What sort of music is your soulmate listening to?" Violet asked, clearly unphased at his glare. Rude.
"Some sort… of boy band?" Nox said. He rolled his eyes as the lyrics repeated again, the same droning lyrics about love singing in the back of his mind. "It's horrible, I know that much." He griped.
Hearing the same music your soulmate played or sang at all times could be a blessing or a curse- and for Nox he definitely knew which it was. "I'm going to give them a taste of their own medicine." He muttered, setting down his book to grab his phone. He opened his phone, searching YouTube for a video of metal pipes banging.
He just was grateful the term for what counted as 'music' was a bit flexible. He turned his phone at full volume, wincing before he hit play.
"Oh my gosh!" Violet managed over the noise. "Turn that off Nox!"
Nox only watched with a blank stare, waiting until the faint background music of Alastair's singing quickly cut off. He paused his video, giving her an unapologetic shrug. "Works like a charm." He said, going back to reading.
Except it wasn't long until more music started up, and Nox's mood was quick to dampen. He paused his reading and listened with a raised eyebrow, hearing the song skip until his soulmate apparently found the part they wanted him to hear.
"Is it too late now to say sorry?"
Nox held back a snicker, his lips turning into a grin despite himself. He shook his head fondly as his mind went back to blissful silence. Of course they were an Justin Bieber fan. Just his luck.
///
Nox was in one of those moods that Violet tended to describe (or dismiss) as needless teenage angst. He had spent the majority of that day curled up in bed, his head held in his hands.
He was just… tired. So tired.
Yet his heart felt a bit lighter when he heard the soft, recognizable strum of guitar strings.
Over the years, his soulmate had kindly turned from torturing his ears with bland pop to more soulful music- including some things Nox assumed he'd written himself. His voice was beautiful, whether he was humming softly to figure out choruses or crafting lyrics with the kind of care Nox yearned to receive from him someday.
He was going to be in love with an artist. The thought of a life in a small apartment with a soft voice to fill their nights made him smile, even now when he knew the possibility was years and many miles away.
Nox was grateful for the relaxing serenade he received from him each night- or at least he was after the first ten or ten thousand times his soulmate played Wonderwall switched to more original songs. He felt his shoulders relax as his eyes slipped shut, letting his soulmate's voice lull him to sleep.
///
"I'm so sick of new music these days." Nox griped, his hand curled around a cup of mocha (that may or may not have had two or five modifications to add more chocolate). "It's all so soulless and bland."
"Hey, I think some of it can be romantic." Rose argued. "Ooh- like that Chase Hollow guy, he's amazing." He said, resting his head on his hand with a dreamy sigh. "He says he's never even met his soulmate but he still describes yearning so well!"
"Of course you would know." Nox chuckled softly, smiling when Rose rolled his eyes. "I don't think I've heard of that Hollow guy." He admitted, taking a sip. "But I doubt he's that good."
Rose's jaw dropped, his hands slamming out on the counter. "You did not!" He gasped. "Oh my gosh, you need to hear him then-" He dug out his phone, aggressively mashing on the screen.
"Do I really?" Nox sighed, sitting back and crossing his arms. He stood by what he said, most artists these days sucked.
Except… He bit back a smile when the thought of his soulmate's songs arose. Maybe they weren't all bad.
"Hear, listen to this." Rose said, pausing for dramatic affect and holding up his phone before he pressed play.
The soft strum of a guitar emerged out of the chaos of the coffee shop, the chords sounding beautiful… and familiar.
Nox's eyebrows furrowed, the suspicion already in his mind, before the man- Chase, started singing.
He knew this song, and he knew that voice. He knew it in his sleep, in his best and worst times at the back of his mind. His eyes widened and he listened silently, almost tentatively, to his soulmate's familiar words.
"So? Wasn't he awesome?" Rose asked eagerly once the song had dwelled to a close.
"He's perfect." Nox managed softly.
Rose raised his eyebrows, a rare look of shock on his face. "Really?" He asked, leaning closer.
"That's…" That's my soulmate. The love of my life.
Chase Hollow, huh? I wouldn't mind taking that last name.
"I- I mean… he's cool, I guess." Nox said, with a meager shrug.
"Sure, sure." Rose rolled his eyes. "You're totally infatuated with him." He teased.
Nox laughed, shaking his head. "I guess you've caught me."
///
He was holding his breath as his fingers rested over the keys of his computer, although he didn't even realize it with all the thoughts running through his mind. Was this a bad idea? Was this… cheating at being soulmates? No, surely that wasn't a thing. Hopefully.
He sucked in a breath, typing in the words 'Chase Hollow' and pressing enter before he could convince himself otherwise. His eyes widened slightly, absorbing everything they could take in.
His soulmate stood on a stage, grinning with a slight sheen of sweat glistening on him. He looked lively- no, he looked like life itself.
He had golden blonde locks like solidified sunlight, caramel chocolate eyes that seemed to peer into Nox's soul through the screen, and his arms were raised triumphantly in the air.
It took a moment before Nox could catch his breath, swallowing nervously and scrolling until he found Chase's website.
'THE STARRY SONGS TOUR' The top of his website read in bold letters, another scroll of Nox's mouse revealing the concert dates and locations.
"No way." He whispered softly. Next week, there was a concert in his town.
He didn't hesitate before he bought the front row ticket.
///
He'd had Violet choose his outfit and spent nearly an hour on his makeup, and yet he still managed to feel underdressed. He was supposed to be a confident guy, what was happening to him?
His fingers drummed on the steering wheel, the car playing one of Chase's songs. He sang along softly, the action more instinct than any conscious effort.
The back of his mind seemed eerily silent compared to the other nights he'd heard him warm up and hum through songs before his concerts, and the thought what Chase might've been silent to listen to him made him smile. He paused the music, driving in silence for a moment before Chase's singing started again- this time not from the car speaker.
He sighed fondly, humming along to the melody.
///
Seeing him on stage was… beautiful.
His energy was electric, like a bolt of lightning there a second and gone the next. Nox could feel himself falling in love already when he watched how Chase performed like the whole world was here to hear him sing, confident and brighter than the sun currently setting over them.
Nox could feel his boldness and charisma in the happier songs, the energy washing away the nerves from being in a crowd so loud and chaotic. Chase jumped around while singing lyrics, occasionally pointing the mic towards the crowd. Nox could barely do more than mouth the lyrics he'd known from the moment they were written, still in shock from seeing something so beautiful from so close.
When the sun went down, Nox got another facet he was already yearning to explore more of. Chase's mood turned to something more serious and he sat at a stool like a man performing at a small bar instead of a crowd of hundreds of fans, holding an acoustic guitar like the feeling was perfectly second nature. It sure looked like it, when he opened his mouth and started singing.
Nox had to blink away tears, watching in awe of the heartbroken ballads of love and loss he sang. They'd never even spoken, and yet these lyrics made Nox feel like he knew Chase better than he knew himself. Slowly but surely, the songs shifted to something more hopeful, something that made Nox smile despite how the movement ached. After a song that felt like a new beginning and closure all at once Chase stopped singing, clearing his throat.
"This next one is a new song, and it's for someone special." He spoke softly, leaning closer to the mic. "Someone who I think may be here tonight." Nox's heart pounded harder at the shy smile Chase. gave the crowd, his breathing shaky.
"Gosh, it's hard writing a song you can't hear." He said with a soft laugh. "But it's worth it to let my soulmate hear it for the first time tonight. This is the first time I've played it so… give me some grace tonight."
Nox sniffled, blinking quickly. He didn't worried a whole song for him- he couldn't have.
But he did, because of course he did.
The song was so full of a sickeningly sweet sort of hope and yearning, of promising to love someone he didn't truly know. Not yet, at least. It was poignant and more caring that Nox thought his future could ever be capable of. He wasn't an emotional man, but the overflow of simple adoration made him have to hide his ugly tears behind a hand.
He felt like a piece of him was put into place by the end of the song, when Chase let out a small breath and looked out at the crowd, his eyes watering. "Thank you all for coming." He managed. "It means more than you know."
The crowd erupted in applause and Nox rushed to join in, his heart lightening at the shaky laugh Chase let out. He stayed there while Chase waved one last goodbye and disappeared backstage, until long past most of the people had filtered out.
In the nearly empty stadium he could finally breathe again, and he knew he couldn't leave that night if it wasn't with his soulmate.
That just left him with a lot of anticipation and the fact that he had no idea how to get backstage.
///
Apparently Nox's smudged eyeliner and runny mascara (which he had rushed to fix afterwards, first impressions were important after all) were enough to convince the security guards that this was the boy Chase had been singing to. From there he just had to walk through the bustle of employees, looking around for Chase with nervous eyes and a heavy heart.
"Excuse me?" He spoke up, catching an employee's attention. "I uh… I want to speak to Chase. Please."
"Who are you again?" The man asked, raising a skeptical brow. He had a messy splatter of freckles on his face, and seemed like he didn't quite know what he was doing here- and just the world in general.
"I'm his soulmate." Nox admitted. "I know I might sound crazy, but-"
He got interrupted by their laugh. "No, not at all. Chase was telling me about some pretty guy he noticed that fits your description after the concert. He's in his dressing room, lemme get him for you."
"I- uhm… thank you." Nox managed. The man gave him a shrug and walked away, so he stood there awkwardly for long enough to make him worried.
Finally he heard a smattering of footsteps, the sound of someone's running coming towards him. He could barely process the sight of Chase before he was tackling him in his arms to the ground, burying his face in the crook of Nox's neck.
Nox barely caught him, gasping softly as his hands pressed against his back. "Chase." He whispered, repeating the name like he'd waited his whole life for the moment. "Hi." He said breathlessly.
Chase looked up, his eyes alight and his grin wide as his warm hands moved to cradle Nox's cheeks. "Hi."